Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3032

"I'll take full responsibility!" Adelaide said immediately.

"I'm afraid you can't afford to, Adelaide!" Mr. Greco's tone was firm. "We chose to work with Paragon Pixel Design specifically because of Ms. Emily. If she's not here, there's no way we can move forward with this partnership."

Adelaide forced a smile, trying to sound even more accommodating. "I promise to find a senior designer with more renown and capability than Emily Sullivan. We can also drop the commission by five percent from our original agreement."

He scoffed. "Adelaide, only flawed goods are sold at a discount."

Her smile stiffened, though she tried to maintain her composure. "Mr. Greco, every designer at Paragon Pixel has an impressive portfolio. I'm offering this gesture of good faith simply because Emily resigned so abruptly. I'm taking the hit for her irresponsible behavior, not bringing in a subpar designer to replace her."

"What I'm thinking," Mr. Greco said bluntly, "is what kind of unfair treatment an employee must have suffered to resign on the exact day she submitted her designs. Yet, she still finished the job!"

Her expression cooled. "Do you know Emily personally, Mr. Greco?"

"I do not," he replied.

"Then why are you so insistent on having her?" she asked, confused.

"Because," he said plainly, "she's the one who designed these blueprints."

Adelaide was speechless.

In the end, the team from Sterling Properties left without signing the contract.

Furious, Adelaide slammed the blueprints onto her desk. Before she could even vent her frustration, more trouble came knocking.

Phase two of the Autumnwood Arts Center project was suddenly moved up. Scott frantically scrambled to get the files from the assistants, who handed over the documents Emily had left behind.

When the project managers for Autumnwood asked for Emily, Scott had to step in. But faced with a mountain of complex data and endless approval forms, his eyes glazed over. There were too many details he simply couldn't explain.

But then it made sense to him. There was a quiet resilience about her. She was like a pine tree—maybe not as tall or striking as others, but able to stand tall and green in the freezing wind, calmly facing the snow.

She was also like an unassuming winter jasmine flower, delicate and pretty, hiding among the barren branches but blooming fiercely against the cold. When people finally noticed it, they knew spring was just around the corner.

As for her catching Charlie's eye, Padgett thought it just proved the man had great taste!

"It wasn't me being clever, nor was it my biggest win," she said. "My biggest win was taking you with me from Paragon Pixel."

Padgett paused, then burst into a hearty laugh.

On the other side of town, Adelaide was hemorrhaging clients. In her first month at headquarters, her performance metrics had plummeted, and she was repeatedly singled out and criticized during executive meetings.

The big boss personally called her in for a talk, furious, openly questioning her competence and the skills she supposedly possessed.